The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1887-12-20

WHATEVER lessons may be learned
and whatever differences may be
drawn from the political history of
this Kingdom for the last six months,
there is one thing that must be re-
garded as settled beyond any perad-
venture. The people of this coun-
try have shown IN manner that can
not be mistaken that they are deter
mined to have responsible constitu-
tional government, in fact as well as
in name, and that they are prepared,
if necessary, to back up that determin-
alton with force. As a necessary cor
ollary from this position, the people
have determined with equal positive
ness that the King shall keep out of
politics. II the movement which
overthrow the Gibson misrule, and Sc
cured the adoption and PRONUNCIATION
of the present Constitution did not
mean this, it meant nothing The
ancient Hawaiian idea Of chieftain-
ship, and of the powers and immuni-
ties connected Herewith, had become
an absurd anachronism whose practi-
cal application to the affairs of the
present time could be no longer toler-
ated. The painful experience of the
present reign had proved conclusively
that the longer continuance of politi-
cal power in the hands of Sovereign
who was personally above the law,
and who was not responsible, either
directly or Indirectly, to the people
OF their representatives was absolute
ly incompatible with good govern
ment or the safety of the State.
With the PRONUNCIATION of the Consti-
tuition of 1887, the last vestige of
chietish rule and irresponsible power
was supposed to have disappeared
from the organic law of the nation.
So far as appeared on the surface, the
King accepted the situation under
standingly and without reserve. For
five months the government of the
country has gone on upon the new
basis. Confidence has been restored,
the public credit has been advanced,
economies and reforms have been in
troduced into the different branches
of the public service, and a new legis-
lature, the best, perhaps, upon the
whole, that the country has ever seen,
have addressed themselves to the task
of bringing the statutes of the King
dom into conformity with the organic
law and furnishing the Ministers with
the needed powers to carry out the
of their administration.
The King having withdrawn from
politics, his name and Office have dis
from the arena of political
discussion and strife. With the ex-
ception of an occasional brief refer
ence to the unsettled and therefore
unsatisfactory state of the opium bride
business. scarcely an unkind or hos
tile remark has appeared in any news
paper or been heard upon the floor
of the Legislature. One might have
supposed that he would be glad to es-
cape from the pitiless storm of public
indignation and contempt which beat
upon his royal head for months pre-
vious to the thirtieth of June last.
But it seems not. Possibly he may
be so peculiarly constituted as to en-
JOY that kind of thing, in which case
he is likely to have all he wants of it.
By going outside the powers conferred
on him by the Constitution and veto
ing two bills which had been passed
by vote of more than three to one,
and which his responsible Ministers
had advised him to sign, he shows
that he is determined to take an &C
tive hand in politics and is prepared
to take the consequences. We can as